Free in the Wind
by Cosmic Sky
Summary: Spoilers for Chapter 698! After beating the living crap out of each other and making up Naruto and Sasuke have a friendly chat about recent events. What they've gained and what they lost and most importantly what they plan on doing with their futures.


Well by this point if you're reading this then you've read Chapter 698 so read on.

I do not own anything.

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><p>In all honesty Naruto and Sasuke thought it was a miracle they hadn't bleed out over the night. They'd each lost an arm and were totally exhausted of strength and chakra so by all accounts they should have been dead. Well one to them should have, that was Sasuke's original plan. Naruto, as always, found a way to throw even that off course completely. He never thought he'd be more grateful for that than he was now. Of course he wasn't going to say that to Naruto's face.<p>

"Hey…you fallen asleep again?" Sasuke managed to call out.

He didn't move his head but Sasuke knew Naruto had heard him. "No way. I'm just thinking…we caused a lot of collateral damage ya' know."

It pained Sasuke to look around the Final Valley. For the second time he had to admit Naruto was right. There was barely anything recognizable of the historical waterfall. He'd been fighting so hard he hadn't realized he'd probably blown away his ancestor's statue. Or Naruto had done it. The blond haired ninja started laughing lightly despite the pain he was probably still in.

"Mind telling me what's so funny? Is it the irony of it all?" Sasuke questioned.

Naruto stopped laughing as a bolt of pain shot up his rib cage reaching his brain. "I knew we'd gotten stronger but I didn't think we blow away old man First and Madara's statues. If you think about it it's almost symbolical."

Sasuke gave something of a laugh though it could have been a cough from Naruto's point of view. "Who knew you had philosophical side under that skull of yours." Sasuke's smile returned to the sky. "You're right. I'm pretty sure I could take Madara in a one on one. Maybe come around and back you up against the First once I'm done."

Both boys shared a pain-filled but still joyful laugh. Naruto wondered if the two were watching them from the afterlife, Madara foaming his statue was gone and Hashirama telling him to simmer down while laughing his ass off. Sasuke was giving the destruction more thoughtful analysis. The last time they'd fought here he'd been the victor, this time it was Naruto. The statues of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had been destroyed by their successors. In a way that too was revolutionary.

"I don't want to look back." Naruto said. "The past is the past so unless some idiot invents a time travel jutsu there's no use in thinking about it." Seeing Sasuke grimace Naruto couldn't help but ask, "What?"

"Don't bring up time travel. One day some idiot might actually try to pull it off and I don't feel like reliving the last ten years of my life over again."

Naruto's smile dropped as his expression became somewhat distant. "I don't blame you but would you say it all was worthless 'cause I don't."

The Uchiha's tear stricken face towards Naruto with a shocked expression. "What do you mean?"

Before answering him Naruto turned towards the morning skies watching the clouds part. "There are a lot of things I wish I could go back and redo. A lot of people I wish I could have saved." The image of Neji's dead body lying in his arms flashed painfully through his mind. "But I can't so I gotta make their deaths worth something. I haven't had the greatest life ever but it was still mine. Everything that's happened to me, the good and the bad, I wouldn't trade any of it away because without it I wouldn't be here. Neither would you."

Naruto's words vibrated inside of Sasuke's head. Truthfully he never really cared much how people would remember him, only that his clan would have justice. There were however times he had wondered what would have happened if he hadn't lost everything, if he hadn't defected. Forming a fist with his right arm Sasuke mediated on the thought. _I wouldn't have the power I have now. Maybe not until I was at least thirty or something. I wouldn't know everything that I do now, about Itachi and the village. I wouldn't be…free. _"I see your point. Is that why you wanted to stop Obito so much?"

"I guess that was one reason." Naruto stated closing his eyes. His chest hurt more than the rest of his body. In time the pain receded allowing him to talk again. "Besides you can't say our lives were totally bad. If it weren't for the pain we wouldn't have so many good memories and met so many awesome people."

Sasuke snorted painfully. "Maybe you but I've got a while pile of memories you could hardly call 'good'." The last Uchiha paused letting a smile creep into his face. "Well there were a few, like Team Seven and killing Danzo."

"Hah! I've gotten you to agree with me on how many things today? Like four or five!" Naruto joyously declared. "Hey Sasuke, do you feel any pain in your arm?"

"Funny that you mention it, I…I really don't." Sasuke finally decided to take a closer look at both their missing arms. From the damage on their skin he had to guess they were either incinerated or had been blown off somewhere. Odds were the intense heat generated by their attacks had seared most of the wounds closed. Well his anyway, for Naruto his healing factor had likely kicked in at some point. "You think Sakura can re-attach our arms if they're still around?"

"Maybe," Naruto shrugged not appearing at all worried about his dominant arm being missing. "If not we can always get a prosthetic ones or maybe once she's full recovered Grandma Tsunade can grow us brand new arms."

"Or I could use the Asura Path to create a weaponized prosthetic arm for myself." Sasuke half joked ignoring the look of frustration on Naruto's pulverized face. "It's kind of funny, at the Kage Summit I burnt off the Raikage's left arm, now thanks to you I've lost mine."

"Karma's a bitch huh?" Naruto laughed. "Call me crazy but I don't think we're going to die, at least I'm sure as hell not."

Sasuke felt a knot form in his gut. When he admitted Naruto was right somewhere inside he felt like a dam had burst. Freedom. That was the only thing Sasuke's mind could come to when he tried to understand what the feeling was. Was it possibly deep down he wasn't so sure about following his own plan? No, he was sure of following it through, it was just somewhere inside he didn't want to kill his closest and only friend. Not after fighting side by side again after almost four years. _Guess we were wrong huh? _He hoped somewhere in the afterlife his ancestor Indra could hear him. Sasuke's vision was getting a little blurry but he could still make out a few birds riding the morning breezes.

"As soon as I have the strength to I'll undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi." He stated. "After that I think me, you, Kakashi, and Sakura will be able to start cutting people out of those pods. Once people start waking up things should carry on from there."

An uncomfortable silence descended onto the two boys when they realized what that meant. There were no more enemies left, the war was over and they'd won. But what about damage control? Naruto balled his fist as the image of hundreds of dead bodies invaded his mind. They'd be digging graves for weeks, months even. What about the injured? What if the medics were injured? Then there was still Orochimaru to worry about. As much as he hated to admit it he was thankfully for his help but that didn't mean he could be trusted. Sasuke's earlier statement about the villages turning on each other began to return with a bitter vengeance. Then he remembered the efforts of all those who had died. He had to, no, he _did_ believe the bonds forged by the war would be enough to start moving past the hatred of the past. Speaking of which, what the hell was he going to do about Sasuke?

"I'm not expecting a thank you." Sasuke said suddenly as if reading Naruto's thoughts. "I already know my future might as well be considered set in stone. Black and gray and hopefully at least ten by four if I'm likely."

"Shut-up teme." Naruto said catching Sasuke off guard. "Always gotta be so morbid and judgmental."

"Naruto I know you've gone," Sasuke paused still feeling slightly numb from the receding pain in his body. "You've practically gone to hell and back for me but look at what I've done. At best I'll be spending the next fifty years waiting for parole and that's if I manage to avoid getting executed."

"I don't know, helping end the war by bringing in badass reinforcements and helping stop a crazy old hag from taking over the world might be enough to avoid that." Naruto flashed him another grin with his bruised face. "Having a hero of the war vouch for ya might help too. So well Sakura and Kakashi-sensei."

Once again Sasuke was stunned by the level of sheer optimism his friend showed. That optimism gave way to a slight feeling of dread when bringing up their other two teammates. Kakashi was one thing but Sakura….Sasuke would rather face Madara and Kaguya then face the pink haired girl who'd loved him for so long, who _still _did love him.

"No matter what happened we never lost sight of you. Sakura sure as hell never did." Naruto reminded knowing Sasuke was listening. "You owe her that much."

The Uchiha's remaining hand lay nearly totally flat on the ground. "She can do better than me. There's a million other guys out there that would be better for her, that deserve her. Besides what the hell could she possibly see in me?"

He didn't let it show but Naruto somewhat agreed his dark haired friend. He'd always known Sasuke had a superiority complex, only now did he realize he also likely had an inferiority complex. _Looking back that probably explains half the things he did. _Shaking his head Naruto tried to sit up only to find he didn't have quit enough energy to do that. "Hell if I know. All I know is this; through everything Sasuke, _everything_, her love in you never wavered once." A slight look of frustration and regret crossed Naruto's face as he remembered another thing he'd have to confront when they busted everyone out. Someone he'd have to find and apologize to. Someone he was beginning to realize felt the same love for him Sakura felt for his best friend. "Until she dies she's going to keep loving you and Sasuke…I know one day you want to be able to say that back to her."

Normally Sasuke wouldn't have let any new tears fall from his eyes yet hearing Naruto's words had threaten to cause another out pour from the normally stoic Uchiha. "Do you…do you think there's still hope?"

Naruto swallowed a gulp of air before turning to look Sasuke in the eye. "Yeah I do. Love tends to have a way of doing the impossible ya' know."

The tension Sasuke had unconsciously been building up in his body flooded outward. He didn't speak for what seemed like hours but when he did his voice was much quieter and level, just like when he admitted defeat. "The Sage was right…when he chose Ashura. You guys are always so…that's why I lose and you can do it. Because you can do stuff like that."

The battered blond didn't need to see Sasuke's face to know he was crying again. That was okay. Everyone had to cry at least once in their lives. The tears were always painful yet without them you would never truly become stronger. That's what he had learned over his life. "It's way too early to give up on your life like Obito did. We've still got time so why not make the most of it?"

"…You're right." Sasuke answered. "I had a lot of fun fighting you." He smiled at the shit-eating grin on Naruto's face.

"Oh wait until next time we go at." Naruto finally managed to push his upper body upward using his elbow. "When you think about we busted those statues we severed our ties to the past. There's no more Madara, Indra, Kaguya, Ashura, First or even Old Man Six Paths. There's just us and the future we make ourselves."

Rays of sunlight began hitting the water reflecting off its surface illuminating the whole valley. The last Uchiha had never been one for signs of fate or anything of the sort by the light of the sun seemed to be telling him something. The past was over. All he had left was the future. His wasn't going to be easy but Sasuke never would have wanted it to be easy. Remembering the First Hokage's words he glanced at his missing arm. _Shinobi are those that endure. _Both Naruto and he had endured more than what anyone thought the average man could take but they weren't average people. They were shinobi. They would continue to endure until they finally achieved their dreams, no matter what pain stood in their way.

Naruto brought his left hand forward which Sasuke gratefully took. "So what now?"

"Try and find Sakura and Kakashi. Hope Sakura doesn't kill us for nearly killing each other."

Both boys shared a hardy laugh before hearing the sounds of footsteps against rock. Snapping their heads to the ledge they saw their two remaining teammates climbing down the ledge. Supporting each other they made their way toward, every step bringing the squad closer to each other. Four eyes met each other, hundreds of things were said but only one action took place.

Sakura practically squeezed the remaining life out of the two battle-worn boys. Tears spilled down her dirt-ridden face as she buried it between their shoulders. They couldn't hear what she was saying but they could feel the overflow of emotion. Joy, anger, and relief. As Kakashi watched the three teenagers embrace each other he too felt tears running down the length of his mask. He stood apart from them until he saw Sasuke's eyes meet his. There wasn't a hint of anger or coldness, only longing. Sakura and Naruto turned towards him with similar looks. Slowly he stepped up to them then he wrapped his arms around his three students.

It had taken time, blood, and tears but it had finally happened. Team Seven was back together. In the light of the sun remains of the past drifted down the river while the four remained rooted in their spot, basking in the sun's light.

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><p>"Are you crying?" The man asked the other dark-haired male watching the scene from beyond the clouds. "If you are there's no shame in-"<p>

"Yes. I am." His voice wasn't cold, it was simply quiet and soft, so unlike how he usually spoke.

The other man beckoned towards the skies with a smile on his face. "Come on. Mom, dad, and uncle Hamura are waiting for us."

Whipping the tears from his eyes the older man stood firmly across from the other. In his eyes were shame and regret. His voice carried a sadness that would have been enough to cover the skies in grey clouds for weeks. "Asura…I'm sorry."

Shaking his head Asura marched over and brought his brother into a hug. "I know… and I forgive you Indra. Now come on brother." Placing one arm around his Indra he smiled a familiar grin. "Let's go home."

With a similar smile on his face Indra followed his brother into a door of light that seemed to shimmer into existence. The two disappeared into the light leaving thin wisps of chakra in their wake before they too vanished into the wind.

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><p>So how was it? Please rate and review!<p> 


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